Close to 30,000 nurses, midwives and health care assistants across the country are set to strike this July in response to staffing shortages and low pay.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) will resort to industrial action on two days this July, after two employment offers presented to them by district health boards (DHBs) were rejected by union members.
The strikes will start at 7am on Thursday 5 July, and end at 7am on Friday 6 July, and again at 7am on Thursday 12 July, and end at 7am on Friday 13 July.
The strike will by undertaken by all NZNO members employed by DHBs around New Zealand, and was decided after online and postal ballots surveying the desire for industrial action resulted in a high voter turnout in favour of strike action.
The NZNO rejected a two per cent rise in March.
On May 24, an independent panel assisting with pay negotiations between the NZNO and DHBs recommended an immediate three per cent pay rise and a one-off $2,000 payment to employees.
New Zealand Nurses Organisation manger Cee Payne says they hope DHB's new employment offer out today is a "clear pay boost".
Today, the NZNO will receive a revised employment offer from the DHB employers to settle the dispute, after they have considered the recommendations of the panel.
NZNO industrial services manager Cee Payne says the government does have additional money for health funding and they hope they will "open the purse strings to settle this dispute".
"We're needing a very clear pay boost right now. We can't wait to fix the problem till August 19 right now," Ms Payne told TVNZ 1's Breakfast.
"Our collective agreement expired in 2017, and members are frustrated that without good pay we can't attract the nurses we need into the health sector."
Whether the strike would go ahead all depended on today's employment offer, Ms Payne said.
"It's on the shoulders of the DHBs today and obviously they've probably been talking to the government over the weekend about what they're going to offer to nurses following the independent panel report and recommendations and look I hope they take this seriously.
"Nurses very rarely get to the point where there's strong support for industrial action, and it's coming from our members and they really know there's a problem on the floor every day in terms of patient safety and they're crying out for help."
NZNO chief executive Memo Musa reports the union has had a first meeting with DHB representatives to begin preparation for the July strike in the event members do not ratify today's revised DHB offer.
"This is a very difficult decision for members and is not taken lightly," Mr Musa said.
"Full commitment to providing agreed life preserving services will be negotiated. Patient safety is paramount. We will be compliant with the Code of Good Faith for the public health sector."
Today's new employment offer is likely to be voted on by union members between June 5 and 15.
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